Thursday, November 1, 2012

Must See TV on the Altitude Channel!

Loyal Readers,

First off, I’d just like to throw out a quick note of
thoughts and prayers for all the people affected by Hurricane Sandy as well as
give a heartfelt thanks to all the brave fire, police, and rescue workers
assisting those impacted by the storm.

That said, I know the games must go on so let’s go ahead and
get to this week’s slate of action…

Oregon (-8)/USC7:00 eastern on Fox

As my loyal readers know, I’m not a fan of that “overrated
team out west” and after their latest loss to Arizona I think it only further
solidifies their status as a team that beats up on weak competition but can’t
keep up at an elite level. Meanwhile, Oregon just continues to annihilate whoever
they play and this year they have a stout defense to boot. I’m not sure why
this line is so low, other than the fact that people must be thinking back to
last year and USC beating the Ducks in Autzen Stadium. But this Ducks team is on a
mission,and Chip Kelly’s squad needs to
continue impressing the voters in an effort to jump Notre Dame and Kansas State
in the BCS standings. Combine that with USC sporting a 2-6 record ATS this
season and I don’t think the game is close. Look for Will Ferrell and all the
other warm weather USC fans to be headed to the exits at halftime as the Ducks
roll in a “not as close as it seems” win.

Oregon 49-28.

San Diego State/Boise State (-14)10:30 eastern on CBS College Sports

I know SDSU has had a nice season, going 6-3 thusfar, but
Boise State has a chance to essentially lock up the MWC title with a win, keep
their BCS hopes alive (given the B1G’s struggles – is anyone else going to
laugh when Purdue is playing in the Granddaddy Of Them All?) and prove that, much
to the dismay of many (including our peerless moderator), the Broncos are not
overrated. I just don’t see SDSU quarterback Andrew Dingwell (making his second
start for the injured Ryan Katz) having much success against a Boise defense
giving up only 166 yards per game through the air. And while SDSU is only
giving up about 125 yards per game on the ground, they are surrendering nearly
258 per game through the air. Fortunately for the team in blue, with Joe
Southwick not making anyone forget about Kellen Moore, going against a poor
pass defense is just what the Broncos ordered. Lastly, this is a night game in
Boise, Idaho where temps will be somewhere between “cold” and “holy freaking
crap” and I’m not seeing any way the Aztecs are ready to deal with the
elements. Boise State’s defense dominates and scores (or sets up the offense in
the red zone for seven), and the Broncos march off the blue turf with a win.

Boise State 28-7

San Jose State/Idaho (+19)5:00 eastern on the Altitude Channel (yeah I don’t get that channel
either)

I get that the Kibbie Dome is an intimidating place to play
for 9 year olds but I’m not sure why this line isn’t 50. Idaho just kicked two
players off the team including starting QB Dominique Blackman, they rank 123rd
in points for, 120th in points against, are 1-7 straight up (SU) and
against the spread (ATS), and just gave up 70 points to LA Tech. Meanwhile, San
Jose State is 6-2 (SU and ATS) will become bowl eligible with a win, rank 44th
in points for and 38th in points against, and feature quarterback
David Fales who is completing over 73% of his passes with 17 touchdowns against
only 5 interceptions. It’s unfortunate that only the 12 people who actually
subscripe to the Altitude Channel (and those of us who shelled out extra coin for ESPN Game Plan) will get to witness this beat down, but take
the Spartans to win big.

San Jose State 55-17.

Pittsburgh (+16.5)/Notre Dame3:30 eastern on NBC

I know Notre Dame is highly ranked (and as much as I hate to
say it, deservedly so) but after their big win at Oklahoma this has all the
makings of a classic letdown game against a Pitt team hitting its stride. Yes,
the Panthers struggled early but have improved week over week, pasting Temple
last weekend by 30 and continually improving in Coach Chryst’s first year. I
don’t think the Panthers win this game but in a classic late season, crisp fall
weather battle they keep the game close as Coach Kelly rides his defense to
another low scoring victory for the Irish. The stupid leprechaun only does a few
pushups as the Irish survive a bit of a letdown with a seven to 10 point win that is never in doubt.

Pittsburgh +16.5

GOTW

Alabama (-9.5)/LSU8:00 eastern on CBS

How about CBS throwing out a night game rather than their normal
3:30 start? Hopefully Verne and Gary can stay up that late (actually, on second
thought, hopefully not – I’d rather watch in silence then have to listen to
those two somehow weave Timmy “back-up QB to the worst QB in the NFL” Tebow in 12 to 384 times). As far as the game goes, both defenses are clearly
very good but the thing that stands out to me is Alabama’s offensive line has
continued to get more and more dominant while LSU has lost some key offensive
linemen throughout the season. And, as much as we like to think the game is
decided by anything else, he who controls the line of scrimmage controls the
game. Plus, the Tide holds a decided advantage at the quarterback position. To
recap, both defenses are very good, Alabama’s QB is far superior, Alabama’s
O-Line is a key advantage, and let’s not under-estimate that Alabama is looking
for sweet revenge for last year’s loss, and it all adds up to another week of
your humble correspondent repeating a familiar refrain (c’mon…you know want to
say it with me…) Roll Tide!!